Equine Artists
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Joni Beinborn & Don Bell
By Susan Winslow
Many of us have doodled horses since childhood, filling notebook margins and scraps of paper with our attempt to capture the beauty and majesty of the animals we love. For every ten frustrated artists, there are those truly gifted craftsmen who have the ability to transform paper, canvas, or clay into evocative works of equine art. The following two artists work in different mediums, yet they both portray horses in a way that speaks to the very heart of our relationship with these special animals.
Joni Beinborn: Joni’s Ponies
In 2013, Amy and Jim Ellis lost their home to a house fire. Amy recalls, “We lost everything, including my first Joni’s Ponies piece. It was a portrait of my stallion, Time to Zippo, a son of Zippo Pine Bar. I was especially devastated losing that glorious piece because it was created from a photo taken by Joni’s daughter, Mallory.”
Award-winning artist Joni Beinborn of La Crosse, Wisconsin, heard about the loss and quietly went to work on a replacement portrait from another photo taken by Mallory. Shortly after the fire, Amy was invited to an art show featuring Joni’s portraits and Mallory’s photography. She says, “The night of the show, my family and I ventured out to view all the glory splashed on the walls of the gallery. We were browsing through the gallery when my son pointed his finger at a wall and said, ‘Mom, there you are!’ I looked up, and sure enough, there I was, hanging on the wall with my beloved stallion. This piece, which is called ‘For Amy’ graces our new home. When I see it, it reminds me of a person who knows my heart. Joni has this ability to make the subject of a piece of art immortal. It’s her gift with each individual creation.”
Joni has always been drawn to art and animals. The daughter of a railroad superintendent, Joni and her family moved frequently throughout the Midwest, eventually settling in Kansas City. When she was ten years old, her father bought her a horse. “I was horse crazy, always drawing horses and wishing for a horse of my own. Getting my own horse was really a turning point in my life, and I have to thank my dad for that. Eventually, my dad built a house with enough land that our horses could come home.” Throughout high school, Joni trained and showed her horses in IBHA (International Buckskin Horse Association) and local shows while continuing to hone her artist’s eye.
Joni earned a degree in Art with a minor in Anthropology before starting a 35-year career as a Rural Mail Carrier for the United States Postal Service. Although she painted during her free time, her career and family took precedence over her passion for her craft. After her retirement, Joni started doing horse portraits on commission as a way to stay busy and share her passion for animals and the creative process. Through Facebook, word spread about her talent, and her business took off. She is well-known for her realistic attention to detail and ability to interpret the essence of a horse’s personality in her portraits. Although she works in other mediums, her favorite is pastels, brightly colored, chalk-like pigment in stick and pencil form. Joni’s works are in the private collections of leading owners and competitors in the APHA and AQHA industries including Kaleena Weakly, Ken and Marilyn Masterson, Rhonda Malone, Susan Knapp, Jason Martin, Molly Cherry, Mike Hachtel, Joe Prause, Marianne Harrington, Angela Fox, Dan Yeager, Tate Oakley, Joanne Garnett, Susan Ratliff, Shari Tordoff, and even in the APHA Corporate Office.
Joni explains her artistic approach, “I work primarily from photographs. Because I’ve always been interested in detail and realism, it’s important to me to capture every little nuance, from a wrinkle in the skin to the texture of a horse’s fur or the reflection of light in an eye. I’m always on the lookout for a moment to capture.” She laughs and continues, “I think I drive my husband crazy sometimes, because if we’re out in the car and I see something that catches my eye, I make him stop so I can photograph it to paint later.”
This talented artist goes beyond the photograph to learn as much as possible about each subject before starting a project. She says, “I talk to the owner of the horse to learn about that horse’s personality, so I can bring that to the portrait. I like to start with the eyes, because like with humans, that’s where the horse’s personality shines through.” There is no time frame on each project, but Joni produces an average of 25 pieces each year.
Joni’s work has been featured in numerous equine publications, and she was juried into the 2014 and 2015 America’s Horse in Art Show and Sale at the AQHA Hall of Fame and Museum in Amarillo, Texas. She has won numerous awards including the 2015 Artspire Merit Award, Bold Brush Painting Competition Favorite 15%; 2014 Steel Dust Award presented by AQHA for Best Body of Work for America’s Horse in Art Show and Sale; 2014 First Place out of almost 1,500 entries in Fine Art America’s ‘Show Your Style’ Contest. Other honors include 2013 Winner of the Fine Art America Contest for Cowboys In Action with ‘The Bond’; 2012 Honorable Mention for ‘Blue Blanket’ in the Ex Arte Equinus International Art Contest; 2011 Top Ten in Ex Arte Equinus International Art Contest with ‘The Buckskin’ and People’s Choice Award at the Horses in Art Exhibition for ‘Dressage and Details’.
In 2010, Joni was chosen as the official artist for the APHA Summer and Fall World Shows, an experience she recalls as, “a dream come true.” Between 1999 and 2007, she was a consistent finalist and one-time winner in the annual Wisconsin Pheasant and Turkey stamp competitions.
Joni offers the following advice for anyone interested in commissioning a portrait of their horse. “You want to give the artist the ability to become up close and personal with your horse to translate his personality to canvas. The best photographs are taken by professionals in the equine industry who understand how to show the horse’s proportions correctly. If you don’t have access to a professional photographer, take lots of clear photographs from every angle to give the artist something to work from,” she says.
Joni lives at home with her husband, Dave, who enjoys hunting and fishing with their son, Sam. The family has three horses on their farm: Joni’s 26-year-old AQHA buckskin named Tigger, 4-year-old AQHA Yankee Goodbar, and her daughter’s APHA mare, Peanut. Joni may be reached through her Facebook page or through her website, www.jonisponies.com.
Don Bell: Don Bell Galleries
Don Bell of Weatherford, Texas, is a true Renaissance man. He is well-known as an accomplished horseman with seven AQHA Open World Champion titles and Grand Champion Stallion honors to his credit as well as winning the limited non-pro division at the NCHA Derby in 2012. He is also a musician, composer, and one of the most respected equine artists in the country. His medium of choice is graphite, and with a talent for composition and detail, he is able to create images that capture the heart and spirit of his subjects. With his gift for the treatment of light and dark, known as chiaroscuro, he brings his subjects to life on paper.
Don describes his graphite work as self-taught, saying, “My art is a reflection of many hours in the studio trying to better myself. I think my technique has matured within the past few years. I’m finally putting together the kind of work that I’m proud to produce. It’s just like learning to train a young horse; the more you know, the less you know. I just try to keep challenging myself to do something better than the last piece.”
As a sculptor, Don studied with Marrita McMillian, whose iconic bronze sculptures are on permanent display at the AQHA Heritage Center and the APHA Foundation. Don also took workshops with artists such as Eugene Daub and Veryl Goodnight. He admires many artists in the Western genre, saying, “Marrita encouraged me the most, especially early in my career. I’m a big fan of Robert Shoofly. His work is the golden standard for pencil collectors in the west. I love early work from Charlie Russell and Frederick Remington. Those two guys basically recorded the history of the West with paint and clay.”
As Don’s reputation for his craft has grown, so has the demand for his work. He was recently voted ‘Best Artist in Fort Worth’ by Fort Worth Magazine, and his artwork can be found in the private collections of leading horsemen including Susan Johns, Bill Brewer, and Bob Avila. Don is both producer and exhibitor at this year’s NCHA Foundation art show and sale, “The Art of Cutting.” Don created one of his favorite works, the emotionally evocative graphite drawing, “A Cold Lone Star,” for this show. “It’s a piece that I’m really proud to have produced.”
Don’s reputation as a sculptor recently garnered a special commission. He was contacted by Cam Foreman, Executive Vice President of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association, to create a sculpture for the Congress trophy. When asked if a particular horse served as muse for this honor, Don responds, “I’m very proud to be a part of the tradition of the Congress. I didn’t really use a certain horse, but I probably had three horses in mind when I did the piece: Golden Gunslinger, RPL Mighty Cheerful, and Tuff At Last. Those are the three best horses that I was able to work with, when I was fitting Halter horses, and they’re the ones that stick in my mind the most.”
Don’s vast knowledge of horses comes from a lifetime of involvement in the industry. As a youngster, he helped his father with Tennessee Walking Horses. He says, “My father decided, when I was about 14, that the Walking Horse business was in serious trouble and he didn’t want to raise me to be a horse trainer. I was always drawn to the Western horse even at an early age. There was very little opportunity for me to grow that passion until I went to work for Charlie and Tammy Hutton. They had Cowhorses, Reining horses, and Halter horses at the time. I spent a summer working for them, and I knew then that I wanted to do more with Quarter Horses.”
When Don moved to Texas to attend Texas A&M, Doyle Meadows lined up a job for him with Mike McMillian in Gainesville. He recalls, “I worked for Mike for several years, and he was the kind of person that had a lot of integrity and success. I wanted to run the kind of business that he had. At the time, I loved to rope, and I had a deep appreciation for all things Quarter Horse. I just ended up trying to focus on what looked like a good business model at the time; that was Halter. My early inspirations were Mike, Jerry Wells, and Robbie Schroeder. They were like rock stars to me.”
After graduating from college, Don forged ahead with his business. He brought the same practiced eye to choosing equine prospects that he does to his art-work, resulting in great success. He says, “I do have a deep love of horses. Aside from my family, they’re what in-spire me most. There are many horses that come and go through the course of one’s life, but when you have the chance to be part of one of the special ones, there’s nothing more moving. It really gets in your blood. I enjoy the challenge of competition but, probably most of all, I enjoy finding the rare prospect and seeing it transform into the things that I envisioned.”
Don and his wife, Joetta, have had tremendous success in the show pen, but Don finds his greatest joy in his wife and daughters. “My wife is amazing. She’s one of the best horseman I’ve ever been around. She has such a depth of knowledge for many different events. Family is real important now. We have two young daughters that we’re trying to raise, and that takes way more time than I realized before we had children. I don’t want to push my dreams on to them. If they like horses, we will try to help them pursue that, but right now we’re going to ballet and gymnastics,” he says. He smiles and adds, “I will say that my oldest loves to draw and paint, and I think she’s really talented for her age.”
When he finds time, Don still enjoys writing and playing music. He says, “I write a song or two a year now, but I don’t usually do anything with them. It’s just a creative outlet for me. I’m happy to play for my friends from time to time, but it’s just fun. I don’t take it seriously.”
Don sums up his dedication to his craft, “I have creative thoughts in the most random places. Art is seen in life all around us. I’ve probably not capitalized on most of the creative surges I have, but I try to whenever possible. It can really be a chal-lenge to switch my brain over to do the kind of things I do in the studio. Mostly, I just have to eliminate distrac-tions. I have to be able to focus on what I’m doing at the time with 100% clarity or I usually end up producing some-thing that I’m not happy with.”
For more information on Don’s work, visit Don Bell Cowboy Images on Facebook or www.donbellcowboyimages.com.
There is no better gift for a horseman than a drawing, painting, or piece of sculpture depicting their equine partner. Costs vary depending on the artist and medium, but an equine portrait can bring a smile to an owner’s face many years after that horse has passed on, and that’s truly priceless.
